Weather Forecast

Storm leaves a foot of snow, wind chills bring low temps

A man cuts a path through a field of deep snow Tuesday using a snowblower in northeast Jamestown. John M. Steiner / The Sun2 / 5

Ashley Hopkins, 10, digs through to open a sidewalk from snow left behind by a plow Tuesday. John M. Steiner / The Sun3 / 5

The sidewalk gets cleared Tuesday as the snow is drifting high against Gussner Elementary School in Jamestown. John M. Steiner / The Sun4 / 5

The entry door on this vacated building in southwest Jamestown is barely visible Tuesday from the large snowdrift in front of it. John M. Steiner / The Sun5 / 5

Arctic air is causing very low temperatures and wind chills in Jamestown this week, according to the National Weather Service forecast.

The National Weather Service issued a wind chill warning for Stutsman, Foster, Kidder, Logan, LaMoure and Wells counties from 3:06 p.m. Tuesday until 1 p.m. today.

Patrick Ayd, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Bismarck, said the wind chills are not out of the ordinary for the winter, but they are dangerous. A wind chill can cause frostbite in 10 minutes or less, so people should limit time outside, wear layers, cover exposed skin and have winter gear in vehicles in case they get stranded, Ayd said.

The North Dakota State Hospital recorded 4 inches of snowfall at 6 a.m. Monday and 8 inches on Tuesday, 12 inches total from the latest storm.

Jamestown had the fourth most snowfall in the state from the most recent storm, Ayd said. Wilton and Crown Butte Lake topped the list with 14 inches of snowfall, and New Salem also got 12.

The outlook for this winter is a cooler and wetter than average winter, and that prediction is on track, Ayd said.

Ayd said snowfall usually decreases in January, but ramps up again in February and March. There is some light snow predicted for the beginning of next week, but no major systems on the horizon, he said.

The high for today is minus 3, with wind chill values as low as minus 45, according to the National Weather Service forecast. The low for tonight is minus 15, with wind chill values around minus 30. Thursday should be partly sunny with a high around minus 5 and the wind around 10 mph.

Friday and Saturday will also be partly sunny, with highs around 2 and zero, respectively.